During a press conference with Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad in Slovakia on Thursday, Austin was asked whether Russia’s actions in Ukraine – specifically against civilians – are considered war crimes.
"Well, certainly we’ve all been shocked by the brutality that we continue to witness day in and day out," Austin responded. "These attacks that we’ve seen most recently appear to be focused directly on civilians."
Biden went further than Austin on Wednesday when he remarked that Putin was a "war criminal."
"Of course, you know, if you attack civilians on purpose, target civilians purposely, then that’s not – that is a crime," Austin said. "So, these actions are under review by our State Department, and, of course, there will be and there’s a process that will go through to review all of this."
WATCH: AOC AND MTG FIGHTING IN CONGRESS
Biden, on Wednesday, had initially answered "no" when asked by Fox News if he considered Putin a war criminal, but circled back approximately 30 seconds later and reiterated, "Did you ask me whether I would call… Oh, I, I think he is a war criminal."
WATCH: DOOCY AND KJP ARE HAVING A LITTLE FUN FOR A CHANGE
President Biden condemned Russia’s invasion on Wednesday, and announced that the U.S. was sending $800 million in military aid to Ukraine. That package includes anti-aircraft, anti-armor weapons, body armor, guns and drones.
CAUGHT ON CAMERA: THE DIDDY ASSAULT FOOTAGE THAT'S TOO OLD FOR JUSTICE? (WATCH)
"Putin is inflicting appalling, appalling devastation and horror on Ukraine, bombing apartment buildings, maternity wards, hospitals. I mean, it's God awful," remarked Biden. "The world is united in our support for Ukraine and our determination to make Putin pay a very heavy price."
HEY, WISEGUYS! AMC’S TRIGGER WARNING FOR ‘GOODFELLAS’ SPARKS OUTRAGE
At a briefing, White House press secretary Jen Psaki asserted that the president's remarks "speak for themselves," but added that a legal process is still underway at the State Department.
"He was speaking from his heart and speaking from what we’ve seen on television, which is barbaric actions by a brutal dictator through his invasion of a foreign country," Psaki said.
UTTER CHAOS: BOEING WHISTLEBLOWER'S SUICIDE NOTE REVEALS DECADES OF IGNORED WARNINGS
A spokesperson for the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, responded by saying that Biden's comments were "unforgivable," according to the Russian media outlet TASS.
"We consider unacceptable and unforgivable such rhetoric of the head of state, whose bombs killed hundreds of thousands of people around the world," Peskov said.
Up until Wednesday, Biden had refrained from calling the Russian president a war criminal, even as multiple lawmakers called for Putin to be investigated for war crimes.
Discover alternative ideas that will make you think
Engage in mind bending debate
Earn points, rise in rank, have fun
